the day is a perpetual morning

Mar 08, 2015

vision is subjective. it varies depending upon where you stand. i do not believe that one vision is better than another. however i do like to think vision is about fit. what wears best. what you are willing to try on and, depending upon your level of comfort, either own or try on something else. our salon is no different. for two years i have been sitting upon a pre-signed lease that until recently i could not execute. that is how long i have been planning this day. as an impatient and brash younger man, i never could have done this. funny how life leads us where it may. for those who care to read on, i'd like to share a bit of my adventure and how we ended up at this point in our story. when i was young, very young, i liked to create hair styles with my friends (girls) dolls. i did not want to dress them or play act, just groom, cut and style. i did once try to use color but friends don't look kindly to shoe polished barbie brunettes. i put away these childish things but never lost touch with my inner hairdresser. fast forward through a very long and turbulent post adolescence. if i were allowed a do-over, i would drop out of high school circa 1978, run away to london and become a part of the amazing movement in hair that took place in that era. in short, i would have begun this path earlier. though some people dream of a different life, i dream more of the same. i began my barber/stylist career in a bathroom with a pair of clippers and a six pack of Molson Ale. the results were horrendous but the dye was cast. a few days later i enrolled in cosmetology school. my professional career had begun. i was hired for my first job at the once prestigious John Wanamaker Salon (shabby and fraying at the edges). at that phase of the salon's lifecycle, it afforded me ample opportunity to practice my craft and pull my personal shit together. then a year at Strawbridge & Clothier (amazing dental benefits..) then down 13th street to a new salon called CUT where i pulled in as many new clients as possible. then a very brief and surreal stint at Invincible. this is when i realized i was responsible for creating my own happiness. ergo, The Atlas Hair Co. my first solo venture. it would be prudent to note at this point that i had been chosen by a new product manufacturer, American Crew, as a local educator. and soon after, a national all-star. my clients never quite understood what i did after closing the salon on Saturday afternoon until opening again Wednesday morning but in laymen's terms, my teammates and i were making history. American Crew had five products when i began working with the company. i was trained by some of the finest barber/stylist the world has ever known. American Crew broke the boundaries of all previous educational experiences and re-created the market segment for the male client. today, an entire generation of stylist's work is influenced by the groundbreaking work of American Crew. though i was more of a method workhorse educator, my teammates were brilliant editorialists who could create styles that are still interpreted, reinterpreted, shorn and worn today. in 1999 i tried to do something really stupid. i envisioned the expansion of Atlas while creating the Philadelphia Soap Company. my idea failed for a multitude of reasons, not the least of which was my inability to look at the whole picture. i learned a great deal about success through the process of failure. for the record, i define failure as the collapse of an idea or venture and success as the ability to move with time, discern what is good from the lesser, build trust in oneself and then create a life that is not defined by another's measure of the word success. once i could master this, duross & langel was possible. we closed the salon in 2007 so that we could move the store and expand operations. though i knew my days as a stylist were over, my mentor/educator life just needed an extended vacation. i still teach for Joe Grooming from time to time when not developing new product ideas for the line, but it has become crystal clear where my passions have reignited. welcome to today. in my opinion, nothing worth having is easy. the trick is not getting what you want. it's still wanting it after you get it. things worth building come with challenges. coming up with money is the easy part. finding someone who can interpret and build your vision, though a bit tougher, is made true by other craftsmen who show up and excel (thank you Matt Bruno). populating the place with like-minded individuals is tougher still. this is where ample patience is needed. patience is a struggle for me (at the moment though, i am breathing through it). what i am attempting to do within this space is very different from what many salons do. i imagine many will think my methods a bit mad. everyone likes to think they know it all. know it best. most days i am no exception. creating a tiered yet democratic salon is tricky. like me, many stylists fresh out of school can't afford to spend months on end being an assistant. many people like me have to cut. and cut. and cut. and cut. that is how we master. so? make one room a workshop where even the most novice of stylists can hone their craft while making some coin. the price is sweet for the client and the results are still better than the most chainy of the chain salons. for the record, just because a salon is well appointed and the prices keep out riff raff like me does not mean you are getting what you paid for. but i digress. in the salon, stylists will have to set their own prices based on the level of talent and experience they bring to the space. you just want a wash and cut? this much. you want a cut and blow out? this much. color too? you get the idea. it's not a new one. just an idea that need to be reclaimed and repurposed. i've been told it's not going to work. but i was told no one would come to my store to purchase hand made natural bath and skin care either. this is happening. you can find me filed somewhere between anxious and elated. Thoreau once wrote “to one whose elastic and vigorous thoughts keep pace with the sun, the day is a perpetual morning. It matters not the labors and attitudes of men, morning is when I am awake and there is dawn in me. ”there is dawn in us all. come join us in the adventure.steve duross